Nowhere to Call Home

by Cynthia C. DeFelice

Book Overview

Unable to cope with the financial ruin caused by the Great Depression, Frances's father has taken his own life. Sad and bewildered, Frances cashes in the railroad ticket that would have carried her to her aunt's home, trades in her dress for trousers and a cap, and hits the rails as a hobo called Frankie Blue. With Stewpot, another young hobo, as her guide, Frankie learns to sneak on and off trains, find food, and protect herself. Then Stewpot gets...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380733064
• ISBN13: 9780380733064
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Deeply touching

This is a very interesting book. Lots of great characters, great details of the hobo life and the depression. Every detail was interesting.Frances finds herself all alone in life after her father loses his money in the stock market crash and takes his own life. Junius, who worked for the family, told Frances about the hobo life. When the family home is to be sold, Frances decides to take to the rails. What follows, is a very exciting life after Frances, now Frankie-a boy in disguise-meets up with Stewpot. Stewpot takes Frankie under his wing and teaches her the ways of the road. There are exciting adventures, with a grim touch of reality as Stewpot becomes seriously ill.Read this book for an exciting look at another time period and another way of life. Get to know Frankie as she gets to know herself and the world around her while she travels across the country, only to find herself back where she began her journey, only a much wiser young person than when she started out. The twists and turns the story takes will surprise you, as will the ending.

A wonderful book for anyone!

This great book is about a girl named Frances Elizabeth Barrow who's father kills himself when he loses his fortune. One of her servants tells her about how he hopes to become a hobo since he lost his job, and Frances decides that the life of a hobo would be great. So instead of going to live with her aunt like she's supposed to, she trades in her train ticket for money. She dresses up as a boy. Then, she becomes a hobo and begins a very exciting time in her life. She meets an older boy hobo nicknamed Stewpot and they go through a lot together - good and bad things. Then a tragic occurence happens that changes Frances' life forever in a not so good way. This story explains the hardships of the Great Depression and is a great read for anyone at least 10 years old.

Good Book

This book was a book that was about a young girl named Frankie who became a hobo after her father's death. This book was based in the Great Depression and painted a good image of what it must be like living back then. I liked how the writer always kept the reader interested. I did not like however how short it was I waish it would have been longer. For who choses to read this I give it a thumbs up. I would recommend any teacher to read it to their class just to explain the hardship of those times.

An excellent read for anyone!

This is an excellent book, and I would recommend that people from 12 and up read it. This is a perfect example of what it was like in the Great Depression and how hoboes used to live. If you read this book, you will not be disapointed by it.

This makes the top of my favorite book list!

This was a thrilling story that I could not put down. I have read this book many times and never grow tired of the captivating story. This book places you in the time of the Great Depression as a young girl who wants to live life as a hobo. The main character (who's a girl),Frankie, sets out to try life as a hobo after her father kills himslef after losing his fortune on the stock market crash. This book has you live the life of a hobo and is very interesting. From hoppin' trains to working for food, it's all here in this great book. I highly recomend this to all readers older then 10. This book will win a special spot on your shelf, too!